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Tybee Island 5K to aid Sea Turtle Project

The biggest winners of the 5K race at Tybee Island Saturday morning will be the slowest movers on the beach - the sea turtles who nest there.

All the proceeds from the third annual Tybee Island Marine Science Center Turtle Trot & Celebration will be used to benefit the Tybee Island Sea Turtle Project, said Heather Kozak aquarium curator and Sea Turtle Project coordinator.

Kozak expects some 150 participants in the event. Some 78 people had registered as of Thursday morning, she said.

The event will be held on the beach, and, with high tide set for 9:15 a.m. or so, runners should be prepared to slog through some surf and soft sand.

It will all be for a good cause, said Kozak. The sea turtle season on Tybee starts on May 1, and the Marine Science Center is busy with its efforts to protect the nests and educate the public.

Funds from the race will help pay for markers and tape to stake off the nests, and to print out educational material that will warn about the perils posed by bright lights along the beach.

Lights shining above the dunes can disorient turtle hatchlings, said Kozak, sending them in the wrong direction.

May 5: The Attorney Chase 5K. 9 a.m. start at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island. Catch the attorneys who pop out of the sand dunes to win gift certificates. More info: 843-815-1570.

May 12: Girls on the Run 5K, a non-competitive event for girls in grades 3-5. 8 a.m. start at the Islands YMCA, 66 Johnny Mercer Blvd. More info: go to www.girlsontherun.org/5kraceevents.html or gotrchatham@aol.com.

May 19: Third annual Trees to Seas 5K Trail Run & Walk. 8:30 a.m. start at University of Georgia Marine Extension Service at Skidaway Island. More info: 912-598-2336 or go to www.marex.uga.edu/aquarium.